Pawbrotm

I would even go further and make a version for powerful computers which don't use any LOD's and always have full model loaded. Why? Because VC likes to load LOD too close (it was good on weak computers but not on these days ones) and it looks awful.

Speccy

These guys are doing an amazing job, and in my opinion, get way too little recognition for it - at least on this forum. I know how much work it takes to create a quality model basically from scratch, and admire their dedication to keep at it for as long as this project has been around.

I have had the chance to take a look at 1.7.2 and thought i'd just share my thoughts.

What you are trying to achieve is great and i understand that my expectations for it have to be realistic, because no matter how much you improve the quality of all visual aspects, the engine is still quite outdated at this point. That being said, i was definitely glad to see the changes you have made so far. But to be honest, at this stage, Vice City still felt no less sloppier than the original. The 1024x1024 textures (especially on the terrain) just look grainy and extremely distorted without emb. The other aspects of the game just echo the fact that you really are playing a game you once might have thought looked good on the ps2. For example, take game Scarface, which is not exactly new either. Although the models and textures barely have an edge on VC, it's environment has a completely different character and somehow feels much more authentic. I think it would be a good idea for you guys to draw upon that, and try to make the visuals match the feel of the game. So far what you've done is great, but if it achieved what i just said, it would really be an experience in itself.

I hope you take it the right way, because i am by no means trying to discourage you or anything! Glad that there is something worthwhile here in contrast to those GTA 3 based I-ARRANGE-OBJECTS-AND-RETUXTURE-THEM "projects". Heads up and i'm looking forward to future updates.

Kov

These guys are doing an amazing job, and in my opinion, get way too little recognition for it - at least on this forum. I know how much work it takes to create a quality model basically from scratch, and admire their dedication to keep at it for as long as this project has been around.

I have had the chance to take a look at 1.7.2 and thought i'd just share my thoughts.

What you are trying to achieve is great and i understand that my expectations for it have to be realistic, because no matter how much you improve the quality of all visual aspects, the engine is still quite outdated at this point. That being said, i was definitely glad to see the changes you have made so far. But to be honest, at this stage, Vice City still felt no less sloppier than the original. The 1024x1024 textures (especially on the terrain) just look grainy and extremely distorted without emb. The other aspects of the game just echo the fact that you really are playing a game you once might have thought looked good on the ps2. For example, take game Scarface, which is not exactly new either. Although the models and textures barely have an edge on VC, it's environment has a completely different character and somehow feels much more authentic. I think it would be a good idea for you guys to draw upon that, and try to make the visuals match the feel of the game. So far what you've done is great, but if it achieved what i just said, it would really be an experience in itself.

I hope you take it the right way, because i am by no means trying to discourage you or anything! Glad that there is something worthwhile here in contrast to those GTA 3 based I-ARRANGE-OBJECTS-AND-RETUXTURE-THEM "projects". Heads up and i'm looking forward to future updates.

Our purpose is to keep that VC feeling in gameplay. Technical issues, quite old engine... - Vice Cry became a challange. But we're sure about our skills - we know we can do this.

After "city renovating process" there will be straight way to the release day ^^

If someone is interested in some technical aspects: more than ~60% of the first main island is done. Second main island is "almost" done (~80-90%).

Kov

And here's a little update. I'm currently sitting in downtown and trying to not freak out (so many shops to renovate).
Dave is messing around in south. He's also working on some specific materials at the moment.

Kov

Hi! That's us with another update, again.
We work hard and Downtown gets better and better every day.

Little Haiti:

Also, we have a dilemma. As you all know, Vice Cry 1.8 takes a lot of time to be created and even after almost two years of development and many, many improvements, we don't have our dream, perfect 100%, we want to achieve.
The city is huge, there are thousands of models - we do as much as we can, but it's still not enough. However, the metropolis is practically renewed, old models were replaced with new ones - but not all of them.
According to my premilinary calculations, Vice City buildings renovation was meant to take one and half year, but it all have stretched in time, obviously. Believe me or not, but the main reason of that was NOT involved with our personal lifes nor daily problems. Sure, we've had some small issues, but they didn't affect on our work.
The quality of original models, i.e. wireframe, textures and of course our will to do the best with them were crucial to the duration of development.

The release was planned for december 2013, but already in the autumn we knew it's a hard deadline. Very hard deadline. There was too much to do - including Downtown, Little Haiti, half of the Washington Beach, Ocean Beach and a slew of interiors.
After over two months, we're still not fully satisfied - Downtown turned out to be a real pain in the @$%, because of its height and complexity. Now, it's more ore less 60% finished, just like Havana/Haiti district.

New calculations are not optimistic - Downtown could be done until april, the rest of the west Vice City's island would take twice as many time. Ocean Beach is about 2 weeks of work, Washington Beach a month. Posproduction (new vegetation, radar map, MANY props objects, dirt, cracks and stains addons) could take 2 weeks to month. Also, we need some time to test everything, to be sure, that 1.8 is a stable non-buggy product.
According to the most optimistic scenario, the work would be done on this year vacation... But we got to study, work and live outside computers...

We know that modding is not about doing something indefinitely - it's all about sharing your work with other players. That's the purpose!
So, here's the conclusion - should we work just as always and release the mod in the far future, or release everything what we already have (also, renew main buildings in about month or so and start the postproduction process) as Vice Cry 1.8?
Of course, we would still rebuild the town - everything what's left, taking our time. This would follow to 1.9 release and maybe final 2.0, which would be the final crowning of many years of work.
So, what do YOU think? This decision is all yours.

TJGM

As a fan/user of the mod, of course I'm going to say you should release it now simply because I wanna play with it..

But if I was you guys, maybe releasing it all at once would be better so you don't have the pressure of people screaming at you because something doesn't look right or some idiot complaining that something isn't finished, etc..

ThirteenAG

So, here's the conclusion - should we work just as always and release the mod in the far future, or release everything what we already have (also, renew main buildings in about month or so and start the postproduction process) as Vice Cry 1.8?

Usman55

More releases means more feedback. And more feedback means you'll get to know better what the fans want. Moreover, it increases the demand of the mod and keeps the motivation alive in the modders. So good luck.